Size box



T. F. SUGGS Dec. 2, 1958 SIZE BOX Filed March 21, 1956 INVENTOR.

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SIZE BOX Thomas F. Suiggs, Gastonia, N. C., assignor to Cocker Machine and Foundry Company, Gastonia, N. C., a. corporation of North Carolina Application March 21, 1956, Serial No. 572,984

'5 Claims. (Cl. '2328) This invention relates to an apparatus for preventing congealing or solidification of liquid size in the usual slasher operation, where size is applied to a sheet of yarns rapidly moved through a size bath. For many years a detrimental accumulation of solidified size has been encountered on various rolls and other parts of size boxes and slashers, and even on the yarn itself.

It is an object of this invention to overcome this disadvantage. Another object is to provide a simple, economical means which can be combined with existing size boxes to minimize temperature drop at the surface of the liquid size. Other objects and advantages of this invention will further become apparent hereinafter, and in the drawings, whereof:

Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal sectional view taken centrally through a size box, illustrating one specific form of this invention, and

Fig. 2 represents a partial view in perspective of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Turning now to the specific embodiment of the invention selected for illustration in the drawings, the number designates a container having an external jacket 11 forming an intervening space 12 into which steam or any other heating medium may be introduced.

Rotatably connected to the container 10 are spaced rollers including an idler roll 13, a feed roll 14, a pair of immersion rolls 15, 16, an upper squeeze roll 20, a lower squeeze roll 17, and supplemental squeeze rolls 21, 22. Means are provided (not shown) for feeding a sheet of parallel strands of yarn Y over the idler roll 13 and feed roll 14, under the spaced-apart immersion rolls which are below the liquid level L, up between the squeeze rolls 17, and then between the squeeze rolls 21, 22. A load applicator 18 presses the upper squeeze roll 20 down against the yarn Y and the lower squeeze roll 17.

Means are provided for raising and lowering the immersion rolls 15, 16. A vertically reciprocable bar 23 slides in a track formed by angle irons 31 which are fixed to the container 10. The lower end of bar 23 is pivoted at 24 to lower arms 25 the lower ends 26 of which are journalled at 27 to the shafts of the immersion rolls 15, 16. A triangular guide plate 30 is fixed to the angle irons 31. A gear 32 meshes with a rack portion 33 of bar 23 and is rotated by a hand wheel 34 to cause the vertical reciprocation of the bar 23, raising and lowering the immersion rolls 15, 16.

In accordance with this invention, a float 40 is buoyantly supported on the surface of the size liquid, intermediate the spaced rolls 14, 17. The float 40 has a flat bottom 41, upstanding side walls 42, 43 and end walls 44, 45, and the end walls have end extensions 46, 47 extending upwardly and back toward the body of the float.

Preferably the float 40 consists essentially of a thermal insulating material having a conductivity much less than that of iron or steel, and it is of a size and shape to cover at least a major portion of the exposed surface States Patent fiatented Dec. 2, 1958 2 area of the liquid in container 10. 'Desirably, the float 40 consists of a plastic material such as a suitable synthetic resin polymer, for example, which has capacity to resist deterioration at about the boiling point of water and somewhat above.

The end extensions -46, 47 have cylindrical curvatures corresponding generally to the curvatures of the corresponding rolls 14, 17. They are intended to be'spaced slightly from the surfaces of-such rolls 14, 17, even when the liquid'level L is lowered to a limited extent. The float 40 has a pair of opposed, substantially centrally located notched or indented portions 48 (Fig. 2) which are shaped to correspond to the spacing between pairs of stop members 49 which are fixed to the inner surfaces of the container 10 and extend into the indented portions 48. The stops 49, 49 are located to prevent the float 40 from coming into contact with the yarn Y or either roll 14 or 17.

It will be appreciated that the liquid size, which usually consists of starch or the like, readily congeals or at least partially solidifies when cooled. Additionally, it has been found that the liquid stratifies into layers of different temperatures, with the coolest layer at the top, even under the conditions prevailing when the slasher is in operation. The float 40, covering a major portion of the liquid surface, minimizes temperature loss at the upper layer and thereby overcomes the problem of size solidification and accumulation on one or more of the rolls 17 and 20, as well as on the yarn Y and even the rolls 21, 22.

Although specific forms of the invention have been referred to herein, it is to be understood that various changes in the apparatus and in the manner of its operation may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, equivalent elements may be substituted for those shown in the drawings, parts may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may be used independently of other features, all as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A size box comprising means forming a container for liquid size, a plurality of spaced rolls at least partially immersed in the size, means for feeding yarn around said rolls for immersion in the size, and a float freely located on the surface of the size and free of supporting contact with said container, intermediate said spaced rolls, said float being of a size and shape to cover at least a major portion of the surface located intermediate said rolls and being buoyantly supported by the liquid size alone.

2. A size box comprising means forming a container for a heated liquid size the surface of which is exposed whereby at least part of the liquid size tends to solidify due to local cooling, heating means associated with said container for heating portions of liquid size remote from said exposed surface, a pair of spaced rolls rotatably arranged and at least partially immersed in the size to conduct yarn into and out of the liquid size, and a flatbottom float buoyantly supported on the surface of the size intermediate said spaced rolls and free of supporting contact with said container, said float consisting essentially of a heat insulating material impeding the surface cooling of the liquid size.

3. The size box defined in claim 2 wherein said float consists essentially of a transparent resinous plastic having a thermal conductivity much less than that of iron or steel.

4. A size box comprising means forming a container for a liquid size, said container having an external heating jacket for heating the liquid size, a pair of spaced rolls adjacent opposed ends of the container for conducting yarns into and out of the liquid size, an immersion roll means carried by said container intermediate and spaced below said spaced rolls, stop means carried by opposed sides of said container and extending partially into the container, and a flat-bottom float buoyantly and driftably supported on the surface of the liquid size above said immersion roll means and free of supporting contact with said container, said float having side walls which are indentedforming grooved portions into each of which said stop means extend, thereby limiting the extent of horizontal drifting movement of the float in a direction toward and from said spaced rolls.

5. The size box defined in claim 4, wherein said float has a pair of upwardly arranged end wall extensions which are curved correspondingly to the surfaces of the respective spaced rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS t l l 

